Polanco scheduled to return this week

Placido Polanco was scheduled to return to action March 6 after being sidelined a few days because of a tight back.

Placido's return would be a huge relief for the Marlins. They signed him to a one-year, $2.75 million contract in December even though he played in just 17 games after the All Star break last year for the Philadelphia Phillies.

"Obviously, he's a guy who has been banged up a little bit in the past. We want to make sure we take care of him," manager Mike Redmond said March 3.

"We need him to be healthy for us during the course of the season. If we have to hold him back a little bit in spring training to make sure we get him when it counts, during the season, that's what's going to be most important."

Polanco said the stiffness he felt after practice on March 2 was not the same discomfort that bothered him the past three years.

"It's not bad," Polanco said. "If it was the season today I could play today."

Polanco won three Gold Gloves, at second base in 2007 and 2009 and at third base in 2011. But he time on the field has diminished -- from 153 games in 2009 to 132 games in 2010, 122 in 2011 and 90 last year.

"We're definitely going to have to monitor him," Redmond said. "He and I have talked several times about letting game know how he is feeling. I feel like we are on the same page and have a good program for him."

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MLB Team Report - Miami Marlins - NOTES, QUOTES

--RHP Jacob Turner, who slated to open the season second in the rotation, had a rocky spring debut on Feb. 28: He allowed six runs in one-third of an inning against St. Louis. His fastball was clocked at 87 miles per hour. "He just looked uncomfortable from the start for whatever reason. Maybe he was little bit nervous, a little bit amped up," manager Mike Redmond said. Turner bounced back March 5 with two hitless innings in a B game against the New York Mets.

--RF Giancarlo Stanton had a productive five games with the Marlins before leaving the team to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Stanton was 6 for 15 (.400) with a homer and 4 RBIs. While he has been limited to an average of seven games over each of his last two springs because of various injuries, he has been healthy so far this spring. He attributes his endurance to a new work-out regime this past winter in California. "If anything, I ran a lot more. I changed up the work outs. I did have a different off-season. Just more running in general," Stanton said.

--OF Justin Ruggiano, the front runner to start in center field, is continuing to make progress in his effort to resume activities. He has been sidelined nearly two weeks with a tight lower back. The Marlins hope Ruggiano can play his first game in the second week of March.

--RHP Jose Fernandez's long-term future will depend how the Marlins deal with super-agent Scott Boras. "We're excited to represent Jose," Boras said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post, confirming that is representing Fernandez. "He has a ceiling for young pitchers that's one of the highest in the game. He's a rare talent." The Marlins haven't had too many Boras clients since Loria took control for team in 2002. Their most prominent was Pudge Rodriguez, who signed a one-year, $10-million contract in 2003 and helped the Marlins win the World Series.

--Former Marlins All Star 3B Mike Lowell doesn't agree with Miami's explanation for trading five key players to Toronto. The front office made the trade in November because officials said team was coming off a 93-loss season. "I understand that the team lost a lot of games, but I think it would be hard to say they lost a lot of games because of Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson," he said, referring to the three main Marlins players sent to Toronto. Lowell, a Miami resident, said the biggest disappointment was the suddenness of the moves, less than a year after the excitement of opening a new $515-million ballpark. "I think the ownership has to understand at least where the fans are coming from because I don't think the fans are totally wrong in that situation because there was so much excitement over the stadium, over the team, and it seemed like it was just a rental," he said.

BY THE NUMBERS: 90 -- Games played in 2012 by Placido Polanco, who played in just 17 games after the All Star break because of a sore back.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Would you love to still have them? Absolutely. That's just the way it goes. The Twins are losing 13 guys, so I feel fortunate that we are only losing three. I consider us lucky."

--Manager Mike Redmond on three players who left the team to participate in the World Baseball Classic: RF Giancarlo Stanton (USA), RHP Steve Cishek (USA) and RHP Henderson Alvarez (Venezuela).